How Danish Startup swipx Plans To Democratize The Gobal Access To Software Solutions

Published on:April 21, 2017

Founded by former IBM executive Svend Erik, swipx is now the leading European cloud-based platform. PR Manager Elena Zala explains the startup's mission - and its advantages over Google.

How would you describe swipx in a few words?

swipx is the leading European cloud-based platform, the meeting point between vendors and buyers of software solutions.

What inspired you to create the software search engine? How did it all start?

The idea comes from the founder of the company, Svend Erik Kundby-Nielsen who, during his time as an executive at IBM, discovered that there was a considerable demand for software solutions that wasn’t met.

The European market has over 40.000 software companies that act independently. There was no meeting point or common ground established between all the players in the software industry. And it’s not only about creating a community that makes it easier for software providers to sell their products but also a question of educating the market about the importance of digitization and how the implementation of software solutions can benefit organizations.

For leaders and employees of smaller companies, it can be difficult to figure out which business areas can be improved through the implementation of software, as well as finding the right software for a given task. The central vision and purpose of swipx is to demystify a lot of the preconceived ideas about IT solutions, while also guiding buyers towards the solutions they need. By offering these tools on our platform, free of charge, we democratize the access to software solutions worldwide.

swipx is run by a former IBM executive. How do you think his knowledge helped built swipx? Would the startup be where it is now without this experience?

Through his corporate career, Svend Erik has accumulated a wealth of knowledge which has been invaluable to the initial and ongoing strategy of our company. It is hard to say where swipx would be without Svend Erik’s experience and leadership. Many startups have been able to become successful without pre-existing experience or connections. Whether their success is based on luck, skill, or simply an extraordinary idea, is unclear.

However, for us at swipx, having Svend Erik design the initial strategies and drawing on his experience in regards to many aspects of our daily operations has been central in getting us to where we are today, as quickly as we have.

Bootstrapped or financed: What fuels your startup now and what will in the future?

A mix of both. The initial cost of getting the basic business operations up and running was funded by Svend Erik. However, throughout our growth, we are receiving funding from a small number of outstanding investors, who are veterans in the IT industry. We have also been able to receive funding through grants from the Danish government, in an effort to establish and strengthen digitization. As we are gaining momentum, outside funding is becoming less crucial to our operations because of the growing number of vendors who are interested in our premium, expansion package.

Entrepreneurs and companies could just use Goole to find the website the are looking for. Why should they choose swipx?

swipx is a website that is extremely easy to navigate, where you can set filters and search through different categories. You can also search for software solutions in your chosen language. Instead of getting hundreds of listings with software related results, swipx guides you through the whole process until you’ve reached the solution for your needs.

What’s the most considerable pivoting maneuver that the team has undertaken throughout the journey so far?

The decision to enter new markets and make our product available to other countries and cultures has definitely been a pivotal decision in our development. Although our market research and entry new market strategies are very elaborated, there is always a shred of uncertainty looming upon us. And every time we succeed something remarkable on a foreign market and we manage to stand out from the crowd, we are one step closer to where we want to be.

Are you using your search engine internally? How does that affect the viewpoints in the development team?

Yes! We use our own platform to find all the software solutions that we need, including our accounting and CRM systems. We think it is important to us to use our own service for a number of reasons. By taking on the role of users, we are able to identify and eliminate technical issues related to our website. Additionally, it ensures that we are aware of potential needs for expansion in our catalog of software solutions. Lastly, as we continue to view our platform through the eyes of our users, we are able to improve the general user experience of navigating our platform.

What is the biggest challenge that the company has faced?

The continuous growth of the company and the ability to keep up with that growth and to live up to our own standards.

What is the most memorable moment throughout the history of swipx?

After the launch of swipx Germany, the team sitting together in the headquarters, in the Copenhagen office, Friday afternoon with a copy of the most prestigious business publication in Denmark, reading a feature about swipx on the frontpage.

If there is one thing you could wish for in improving the European startup ecosystem – what would it be?

More cooperation between startups to enhance innovation on a global scale. Effective communication with the big corporations, the business world in general and the civil society for the promotion of entrepreneurial values.